Diving Into the Past
N.L. Shipwreck Preservation Society Helping Reveal Historical Secrets From Beneath the Waves
Above: SPSNL Diver Ysabelle Hubert pictured with a base ring from the deck guns of the HMS Raleigh, which sunk near Port Amour, N.L. Photos courtesy of Neil Burgess, SPSNL
The Shipwreck Preservation Society of Newfoundland and Labrador (SPSNL) dives onto the province’s most notable wrecks and encourages anyone interested to get involved.
The SPSNL was first formed in 2012 by ...
Scientists Testing Non-Invasive Fish Surveying Techniques
Above: L-R: Dr. Jonathan Fisher and Gordon Adams prepare a baited camera for deployment on the Northeast Newfoundland Slope. Photo by Adam Templeton
Researchers from the Marine Institute (MI) and the Department of Fisheries and Oceans (DFO) recently spent 31 days at sea gathering data using state-of-the-art non-invasive surveying techniques within three federal marine conservation areas of Newfoundland and Labrador.
The group, headed by MI’s Dr. Jonathan Fisher, surveyed the ...
N.B. Proposing to Make PFD Usage Mandatory on Fishing Boats
New Brunswick is set to make changes to its Occupational Health and Safety Act, part of which will mandate the wearing of personal flotation devices (PFDs) for the commercial fishing industry.
The proposed legislation would come into effect in June 2024, allowing for affected enterprises to adjust to the change in regulations. Currently, the only law affecting New Brunswick is a federal regulation, dictating that PFDs be made available for every person on board a vessel. The devices are not ...
DFO Makes Good on Seal Summit
Event Garnered Some Criticism as Majority of Discussions Took Place Behind Closed Doors
The seal industry might have been on display, but the majority of the conversations surrounding it took place behind closed doors.
The federal government played host to its promised seal summit in St. John’s on November 8 and 9 to discuss the utilization of the marine mammal with the commercial fishing industry, Indigenous communities, provincial representatives and other stakeholders — ...
Lobster Season Begins in SW Nova
With the lobster season off and running in Southwestern Nova Scotia, regulators want harvesters to be aware of the risks involved.
Vessels will be loaded with traps and gear, increasing the risk of an accident, especially in inclement weather.
“Boarding boats in the cold and dark, at the mercy of the weather and the sea, makes fishing dangerous work. Safety is a crucial priority,” said Fisheries and Aquaculture Minister Steve Craig.
“One tragedy is one too many, so we urge ...
Groups Collaborating to Advance Ropeless Fish Gear Technology
Michael Moore, the Director of the Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution (WHOI) Marine Mammal Center, has spent a large portion of his career taking North Atlantic right whales and other marine mammals apart and figuring out how they died.
“That led me to focus on the two primary causes of mortality and ill health in right whales, namely vessel collision and entanglement in rope and nets — primarily rope,” said Moore. “So, as a veterinarian, obviously the clinical aspects of both of ...
More Questions Than Answers
Residents and Fishermen Worried About Impact of N.S. Military Testing Facility
About 20 kilometres southeast from Halifax and right next to the small community of Eastern Passage is an area called Hartlen Point — home to hiking trails, a golf course, bird-watching areas and the future home of a military weapon systems testing facility.
Canada is replacing two of its warship classes — the Iroquois-class anti-air warfare destroyers and Halifax-class multi-role frigates — with ...
Adding Insult to Injury
Author Elizabeth Edwards once wrote, “She stood in the storm and when the wind did not blow her way, she adjusted her sails.”
With a challenging 2023 lobster season on the horizon, it looks as the though the resilient commercial fishermen in Southwest Nova Scotia might have quite a bit of metaphorical sail adjusting to do over the next six months.
Harvesters in this region are no strangers to adversity and they are certainly going to have to call upon that experience to navigate the ...
On the Waterfront – January 2023
Another FFAW Executive Stepping Down
In a surprising move, Keith Sullivan, president of The Fish, Food and Allied Workers Union (FFAW-Unifor) is stepping down.
The decision was announced at a Dec. 1 press conference at the FFAW-Unifor office in St. John’s. Sullivan, who has served as president since 2014, claims the decision is personal and that he has no subsequent employment plans.
“It’s a personal choice for me. And most importantly, I think the organization that I’ve been a ...
The Twine Loft – January 2023
Passed On: Matthew Petten — Port de Grave, N.L. fisherman
Petten, 87, passed away in Carbonear on November 20. He was born on May 14, 1935 in Port de Grave. A man of the sea, he was a fisherman for most of his life. He told many stories about fishing adventures on the 32-foot 8 Acadia, the Old Grey, Island Star, and the Miss June. Adorned in his blue coveralls and knitted blue toque, he spent many hours in the harbour working in the stage, on the boat and on his roadside monument in Port de ...
